The third episode of Severance continued the story of office worker Mark as he tried to navigate his two separate worlds. The Apple TV series continues to be able to mix in a bit of comedy into what is a suspense thriller filled with some still unclear corporate espionage. Directed by Ben Stiller, the overall tone of the third episode stayed very in tune with the first two episodes. However, when it came to the "edge of the seat" approach that was prevalent through the end of the first episode and the entirety of the second, "In Perpetuity" didn't quite hit the mark.
It is of course possible that things had to be slowed down a little bit. After all, the first two episodes seemed to be spiraling a bit towards the end as the hook that was meant to bring people back for another week. If "In Perpetuity" had continued on that pace, there might have been entirely too much divulged by Episode 3 of the nine-episode arc of Severance. On the other hand, when it comes to suspense thrillers, there's a certain pace that needs to be kept in order to keep the tension up. In some regards, this latest installment fell short.
Weirdness For Weirdness' Sake
One thing that is consistent throughout the first three episodes of this Apple TV+ series is that things are very, very weird inside and outside of Lumon Industries. Weird was certainly the name of the game when it came to Mark, Helly, Dylan, and Irving deciding to go on a bit of a field trip. Of course, the Innies cannot leave the building for a real field trip, otherwise, they'd revert to their Outies egos, so this particular trip was just to another part of the company's campus.
That is, of course, one of the weird things about Lumon, considering it's not entirely clear just how big the building is. The shots and the way the building is set up allow for a kind of labyrinthian feeling to the workplace in Severance. Perhaps at the center of that labyrinth is the museum that houses what appears to be wax figures of every CEO in the company. While there are all kinds of corporations that feel as though their histories are important. However, it seems more than a little likely that Lumon is the only company that has actually put together a wax museum to celebrate its past.
It's not entirely clear what the field trip was meant to do, other than to take them out of their office space. It also allowed Helly to try and make her break for it, but beyond that, the trip appeared to be all about just showing how weird the company really is. Obviously, Severance needs to make sure that this company stands out when it comes to just how strange it is. However, the company has established that in spades already. In fact, it feels as if the scene was put into the show just to add to the weirdness.
There's also the fact that the entire point of going on this field trip was supposedly to get Helly to realize what a wonderful company Lumon is, but it appears only Irving really feels that way based on everyone's reaction to the museum. It feels as if Mark really understood, and he seemed to, that Helly is having a hard time feeling at home at Lumon, taking her to a weird museum might not have been the best approach. Of course, the Apple TV+ thriller has done a very good job of making it clear that Mark didn't know what to do. He didn't know what would make her feel better. But throwing more weirdness at her didn't seem like a good approach. The whole scene felt like the weirdness was just being taken to another level for the sake of being weird. At some point, that actually takes the impact away and it just becomes goofy.
Petey's Story Gets More Interesting
In some regards, Severance is a bit like another show that just aired. Like The Book of Boba Fett, "In Perpetuity" told two different stories at the same time. There was the story of Mark at the office dealing with Helly and his coworkers as they tried to convince the new addition to the office that things at Lumon weren't as bad as she first thought it was. While that story was going on, the focus on Petey showed that things might have actually been just as bad as Helly thinks they are. There is, after all, a reason why Petey decided to flee the company and have the procedure that allowed him to remember his time inside the company.
Unlike The Book of Boba Fett, Severance does the dual storyline right by not focusing too much on one story or the other. While the goofiness and weirdness of Mark at his office does get a bit annoying every now and then, neither story is entirely ignored and the focus on Petey allows for there to still be some thrills and chills in the episode. There's also quite a bit of tension as the audience is left to wonder if he's going to kick the bucket from the "sickness" he's got in the wake of the procedure to get his memories back. It would certainly not be a surprise to see him die before any more of the Lumon puzzle can be solved. Here's hoping Stiller and company decide to go another route.
Easily one of the most suspenseful moments of the entire episode is when Petey was hiding out in Mark's basement and Mrs. Selvig or Mrs. Cobel or whoever she is wandering through the house. Patricia Arquette has managed to bring a character to life that is quite foreboding, despite not really being threatening. The absolute terror that Petey showed when she was walking around manages to make it clear that whatever she and Lumon are up to is not good. The show would be well suited to keep the cat and mouse between the two going.
Severance is available on Apple TV+ now with new episodes coming every Friday.